Man Gets 25 Years To Life For Killing Wife, Stashing Body

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — A 69-year-old central New York man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for killing his wife and stashing her body in a storage unit.

In December, a Syracuse jury found Pande "Pete" Trifunovski guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Snezana "Suzie" Trifunovski. He testified in his own defense that he beat his wife with a wooden rail as she tried to flee inside their home in the town of Lysander during an argument. He then suffocated her.

He testified that she died within 30 seconds because his arms are "very strong" from years of stone carving.

Police later found the body in a storage facility.

The couple, who emigrated from Macedonia, had been married for 25 years.